odds

Odds are points giving an advantage to the weaker opponent in a contest, or the likelihood that something will happen.

(noun)

An example of odds are 5 points given to the lowest ranking team in a league when they play a game with the highest ranking team.

See odds in Webster's New World College Dictionary

plural noun

Archaic inequalities
Now Rare difference or amount of difference
difference in favor of one side over the other; advantage
an equalizing advantage given or received in betting, based on a given bettor's assumed chance of winning and expressed as a ratio: a winning bettor who got odds of 3 to 1 is paid three times as much as he or she bet

See odds in American Heritage Dictionary 4

plural noun

A certain number of points given beforehand to a weaker side in a contest to equalize the chances of all participants.
a. The ratio of the probability of an event's occurring to the probability of its not occurring.
b. The likelihood of the occurrence of one thing rather than the occurrence of another thing, as in a contest: The odds are that she will get the nomination on the first ballot.
Games A ratio expressing the amount by which the stake of one bettor differs from that of an opposing bettor.
An amount or a degree by which one thing exceeds or falls short of another: won the contest by considerable odds.

Origin:

Origin: Pl. of odd

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